Get Email Updates

HTC Sense UI Coming To Rogers HTC Dream/Magic?

Many of you may have been following the release of the HTC Hero, but more importantly, the release of the HTC’s new Sense UI. For those that do not know, HTC’s new Sense UI is a new, very slick and shiny user interface for HTC devices. Currently, it is being launched on the HTC Hero, along with Multi-Touch and Flash support, but everyone is left wondering what about other HTC devices?To answer that question comes HTC CEO Peter Chou who has confirmed that “HTC Sense will be available on some other existing devices”. This could spell good things for Rogers HTC Dream and HTC Magic owners, as it was believed that the HTC Hero was going to be the only HTC device to get the Sense UI.

Some of the new things brought with the Sense UI, aside from looking amazing, are customization overlays for Android that adds HTC’s new interface to the Android OS. The Sense UI also has new Scene specific profiles that allow you to move your device’s focus from business to weekend mode and a new widget-based interface that puts at-a-glance information onto your Home Screen. Also, a dedicated search button now searches the entire phone, as well as services included in Social Networking.So how can you get the Sense UI on your Rogers HTC Android device? It seems we must wait and see.

HTC has confirmed that due to licensing terms of providing “with Google” branded smartphones, they are not allowed to offer the Sense UI as an upgrade to those devices. So any “with Google” branded HTC devices will not, at least in the near future, get the Sense UI upgrade.

However, the Rogers HTC Dream/Magic devices are not branded “with Google”. Instead, that branding was removed and in its place was put “Rogers” branding. According to HTC’s representative, they are trying to develop a method in which to bring the Sense UI to those devices with non-Google branding. So this could be good news for Rogers HTC Dream/Magic customers.

If you remember, this is not the first difference between branded “Rogers” HTC Android devices and branded “with Google” HTC Android devices. HTC added Exchange Support for the Rogers handsets, something that is missing in the “with Google” branded handsets.

While this is not at all a confirmation that the Sense UI will be coming as an ugprade to the Rogers HTC Android handsets, it does seem that the “Rogers” branded handsets have a better chance of getting the upgrade than the “with Google” branded handsets.

While I’m happy with the Dream, it can be a bit slow and this UI would probably slow it down further. I’m much more interested in full consistent functionality and decent performance than a whizzier UI. However some of the features sound useful (scene and search), and it’s always great to know your device is supported in updates, so I’d be quite happy if it works out.

http://zooid.org/~vid?androidincanada davidm

While I’m happy with the Dream, it can be a bit slow and this UI would probably slow it down further. I’m much more interested in full consistent functionality and decent performance than a whizzier UI. However some of the features sound useful (scene and search), and it’s always great to know your device is supported in updates, so I’d be quite happy if it works out.

AmaruPhoenix

Would Sense UI be better off or allow us to install and place cache and data on the SD?

because I seriously doubt our 256 Meg Dreams can handle much more, Sense would awesome

AmaruPhoenix

Would Sense UI be better off or allow us to install and place cache and data on the SD?

because I seriously doubt our 256 Meg Dreams can handle much more, Sense would awesome

Samuel Maskell

I could be wrong, but as far as I’m aware, HTC is trying to get this for the rogers magic but not dream. could be wrong though. Also, you guys seem to have missed the fact that the new UI also comes with multi-touch and flash. that’s pretty major.

http://wiki.zooid.org/wiki/Category:Android davidm

Samuel, I despise Flash, and am always glad to be able to walk into an establishment and point out that I and a growing number of mobile users can’t access their Web site because some #(*$#(*$ person did it with Flash rather than using the world changing web format, HTML. Sure, Flash is useful for the occasional demonstration or cute animation, though HTML 5, which Google is fully behind, should make it unnecessary. Flash would not help for a 100% Flash web site on the small screen, and I really don’t care about the effort wasted in that direction.

And multitouch would be nice so iPhone users would not look so silly trying to use the phone (ummmm… what are you doing?), but I prefer on screen controls so I can use the phone easily with just one hand.

Samuel Maskell

I could be wrong, but as far as I’m aware, HTC is trying to get this for the rogers magic but not dream. could be wrong though. Also, you guys seem to have missed the fact that the new UI also comes with multi-touch and flash. that’s pretty major.

http://wiki.zooid.org/wiki/Category:Android davidm

Samuel, I despise Flash, and am always glad to be able to walk into an establishment and point out that I and a growing number of mobile users can’t access their Web site because some #(*$#(*$ person did it with Flash rather than using the world changing web format, HTML. Sure, Flash is useful for the occasional demonstration or cute animation, though HTML 5, which Google is fully behind, should make it unnecessary. Flash would not help for a 100% Flash web site on the small screen, and I really don’t care about the effort wasted in that direction.

And multitouch would be nice so iPhone users would not look so silly trying to use the phone (ummmm… what are you doing?), but I prefer on screen controls so I can use the phone easily with just one hand.

Samuel Maskell

yes, all valid points. I could see why you might not want the new UI. You probably won’t get it anyway, though. Like I said, I believe it’s only coming to the magic, mostly because the dream doesn’t have enough RAM.

I forgot to mention that you’re SUPPOSED to get better battery life with the new UI. who knows if that’s true though?

Samuel Maskell

yes, all valid points. I could see why you might not want the new UI. You probably won’t get it anyway, though. Like I said, I believe it’s only coming to the magic, mostly because the dream doesn’t have enough RAM.

I forgot to mention that you’re SUPPOSED to get better battery life with the new UI. who knows if that’s true though?

http://wiki.zooid.org/wiki/Category:Android davidm

I definitely think releasing the Dream as it is, an almost out of date device, was a strange move. It would have been nice if they could have just added a bit of RAM to it, which usually makes a big difference and in some case may make some things possible. It’d also be nice if we could simply replace a modular main board, including the camera module, for a reasonable cost, but I’m really dreaming now. However in general I quite like the Dream and battery life is tolerable, assuming an app doesn’t get out of control (which is an acute event regardless of battery capacity).

http://wiki.zooid.org/wiki/Category:Android davidm

I definitely think releasing the Dream as it is, an almost out of date device, was a strange move. It would have been nice if they could have just added a bit of RAM to it, which usually makes a big difference and in some case may make some things possible. It’d also be nice if we could simply replace a modular main board, including the camera module, for a reasonable cost, but I’m really dreaming now. However in general I quite like the Dream and battery life is tolerable, assuming an app doesn’t get out of control (which is an acute event regardless of battery capacity).

Samuel Maskell

I’d say that releasing the magic was even a little strange with the hero coming So soon. They must have know. I knew about it when I got my magic but just ignored it, knowing that there no chance it’ll come to Canada any time soon. Oh well. I still quite enjoy my magic.

Samuel Maskell

I’d say that releasing the magic was even a little strange with the hero coming So soon. They must have know. I knew about it when I got my magic but just ignored it, knowing that there no chance it’ll come to Canada any time soon. Oh well. I still quite enjoy my magic.

Sean

Just sent an email to HTC asking about this, and they responded saying no information has been released to Rogers about the Sense UI :(.

Sean

Just sent an email to HTC asking about this, and they responded saying no information has been released to Rogers about the Sense UI :(.

Sean

Just sent an email to HTC asking about this, and they responded saying no information has been released to Rogers about the Sense UI :(.